Blue Cheese Stuffed Glazed Pecans

Blue Cheese Stuffed Glazed Pecans

Savory. Sweet. Crunchy. Salty. Nutty. Pungent. What could possibly make these any better?! I think I'm going to have a hard time finding a better recipe as the year progresses, but this is too good to keep to myself! I adapted this from another recipe, but I think I've made it my own. They are bite-sized, easy to serve and eat at a tapas party or a cocktail party. They would also be REALLY good to add to a tossed salad! These take a little time, but it's not difficult, it just takes patience. I recommend saving the final assembly for just before you serve them so the pecans stay crunchy.

BLUE CHEESE STUFFED GLAZED PECANS

1 pound pecan halves

1/2 stick butter

1/3 cup honey (local if possible)

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup crumbled blue cheese

Separate the pecan halves, removing any that are not complete halves. Lay them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Toast them in a 375º oven for about 10 minutes, being careful not to overcook them. While the nuts are toasting, melt the butter and honey in a large sauce pan. Toss the toasted pecans in the butter/honey mixture to coat. Spread them back on the parchment paper to cool completely in a single layer so they don't cool in one large clump.

While the nuts are cooling, mix the sugar, pepper, salt, cumin, and cayenne in a large bowl. Stir it well to distribute the spices. Toss the nuts, a handful at a time, into the spiced sugar, being careful not to break the halves. As you return them to the parchment paper, pair them up by similar size so it will be easier to make "sandwiches" with the blue cheese. 

Return the nuts to a warm oven for a few minutes to warm the sugar and make it more of a glaze than a dusting. Again, be careful not to leave them in the oven too long or they will burn. Remove from the oven and grind a little more salt over the halves if you like salty sweet. 

At this point, if you don't like blue cheese, you can stop and enjoy salty spicy sweet glazed pecans, but you'll have a hard time stopping before the pound is gone!

Crumble good quality blue cheese and let it come to room temperature to soften. Use a mixer to cream the blue cheese and the sour cream together. It should be about the consistency of cream cheese so adjust the sour cream amount to get a nice thick mixture. 

Put the blue cheese mixture into a pastry bag (or use a sturdy plastic bag with a small corner cut off) and squeeze a dab of blue cheese onto half of the pecan halves. Top each with one other pecan half and smooth the cheese around the edges. 

Five sandwiches make a "serving" so enjoy these in moderation if you're watching your healthy intake!